The three Finest Countertop Dishwashers of 2025, Examined & Reviewed

You probably have a built-in dishwasher, you may take the equipment as a right. However for these with out one, hand-washing and drying dishes might be each annoying and time-consuming. Scalding scorching water, soiled dishwater…you get the image. You probably have the area, a countertop dishwasher gives an answer. This mini equipment capabilities a lot the identical approach as its bigger sibling: water is available in, dishes are washed, and soiled water drains out. 

To search out the very best countertop dishwashers, I put seven fashions to the check—evaluating their cleansing talents, capacities, and extra.

The Winners, at a Look

The Comfee countertop dishwasher can ship sparklingly clear and bone-dry dishes very quickly. (It took 130 minutes per cycle throughout my assessments.) There’s a built-in UV mild for additional sanitization and quite a lot of specialised settings for glassware, child bottles, and extra.

This isn’t a nasty various to our winner. It doesn’t have a UV mild or an routinely opening door however it carried out equally and all of the dishes got here out clear and dry.

This bigger decide is nice for anybody needing extra dishes cleaned without delay. It’s quiet, modern, and cleans dishes in addition to any full-sized dishwasher I’ve had.

The Checks

• Setup Take a look at: I set a stopwatch and timed how lengthy it took me to unbox and arrange every dishwasher.
• Most Capability Take a look at: I stuffed every mannequin to find out its most capability and famous what number of dishes match and if there have been any areas that have been troublesome to load.
• Cleansing Take a look at: For every machine, I coated a number of plates and units of flatware with barbecue sauce and loaded them. I stuffed a number of glasses with milk, dumped the milk out, and added the glasses to the dishwasher. I ran a regular cycle and appeared for any residue left behind.
• Actual-World Take a look at (Winners Solely): For machines that handed the primary three assessments, I ran a cycle utilizing dishes from a typical meal in my family, noting ease of use and the way clear the dishes have been.

What I Realized

Lots of the Countertop Dishwashers Carried out Actually Properly

I assumed countertop dishwashers could be comparatively low-powered, however I used to be pleasantly shocked that these small however mighty home equipment may actually maintain their very own. Regardless of their compact dimension, most of the countertop dishwashers I examined delivered spectacular cleansing energy. They dealt with cussed, sticky substances, oily tomato-based residue, and delicate glassware with ease. 

Constructed-In Water Tanks Streamlined Setup

A few of the countertop dishwashers required a water hookup to run. Sadly, my sink has a pull-down kitchen hose that has no threading and, thus, nowhere for me to connect a dishwasher’s consumption hose. After calls to customer support, a number of journeys to the ironmongery store, and a few purchases from Amazon, I used to be in a position to lastly connect these hoses. Regardless of this, I nonetheless had issues with leaking. It’s additionally value noting that when the machine is plugged into your kitchen faucet, you can’t use the sink to, say, wash your arms or refill a glass. 

For that reason, I favored countertop dishwashers with built-in water tanks, as they have been self-sufficient. The trade-off is that dishwashers with out built-in tanks can maintain extra dishes. Nonetheless, my prime decide from Comfee was nonetheless in a position to accommodate two giant dinner plates, three small salad plates, one juice glass, two cereal/soup bowls, two coffee mugs, two forks, two spoons, and two knives.

Watch out for White Labeling

White labeling refers back to the observe of a producer promoting the identical product beneath a unique model identify. A number of of the dishwashers I examined have been the very same machine, with the one actual distinction being the worth.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Countertop Dishwasher

Earlier than you even contemplate shopping for a countertop dishwasher, take into consideration what number of dishes you want cleaned and the way a lot storage and countertop area you’ve got. Smaller fashions can maintain about two place settings whereas bigger variations can accommodate as many as six (or two plus some pots and pans). Your dishwasher will must be located pretty near the sink so the wastewater hose has someplace to empty. If attaching a hose to your faucet isn’t sensible, a number of of the fashions I examined got here with built-in water tanks that you simply fill earlier than operating. Smaller elements to contemplate are issues like noise stage or fancy options like a setting with high-heat sterilization for child bottles. 

Our Favourite Countertop Dishwashers

What we favored: Every of the machines I examined had its mixture of strengths and weaknesses. The Comfee stood out as a gem, seamlessly combining all the very best options into one spectacular equipment. It delivered an ideal steadiness of efficiency, comfort, and reliability. The Comfee left dishes sparklingly clear and bone-dry, a feat not many dishwashers have been in a position to pull off. Specifically, I used to be impressed with the Comfee’s drying, because it means that you can put dishes away instantly after the cycle concludes. This mannequin pops open the entrance door when it’s near the tip of drying to hurry up the method and permit for extra airflow. The within was roomy and match 10 dishes plus silverware. The dish rack has a number of configurations and I famous the noise stage to be a quiet 67 decibels (not loud sufficient to interrupt a dialog or the tv).

This mannequin additionally comes with a number of upgrades. There’s an inside mild in addition to a UV mild that may kill germs, ostensibly. It has high-heat cycles to sanitize objects, a no-heat choice for cleansing fruit and greens, and a mild glass setting. In the case of water hookup, you possibly can connect a hardline to your sink or fill the built-in reservoir.

What we didn’t like: This dishwasher is on the small facet. 

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and stainless-steel
• Dimension: 16.5 x 17.3 x 18.43 inches
• Weight: 41.3 kilos
• Capability: 2 place settings
• Tank or arduous line?: Each

What we favored: The Hermitlux has most of the similar options as our winner. You’ll be able to hook up the water consumption to your sink or fill the built-in tank. The Hermitlux holds a stunning quantity of dishes. (I used to be in a position to match two giant dinner plates, three salad plates, two bowls, two glasses, and two espresso mugs, plus silverware.) The usual wash cycle has a 69-minute run time and was in a position to clear dried-on barbecue sauce and milk residue with out situation. Greasy tomato sauce additionally got here proper off with no pre-rinsing.

What we didn’t like: The Hermitlux has a smaller water consumption than the Comfee (5 liters as a substitute of six). The holes in its silverware rack are formed pretty small, so your silverware won’t match, relying on its design. The run time was a lot shorter than my winner, however that left me with dishes that have been nonetheless moist and wanted to be dried earlier than being put away.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and stainless-steel
• Dimension: 16.85 x 16.73 x 18 inches
• Weight: 26.5 kilos
• Capability: 2 place settings
• Tank or arduous line?: Each

What we favored: The Danby is bigger than my different winners and capabilities extra like a built-in mannequin dishwasher. It connects to water by way of a tough line and is bigger than an air fryer toaster oven, so it could actually match as much as six place settings and bigger objects like pots and pans. It’s water environment friendly and makes use of solely 3.1 liters of water to get dishes very clear. Whereas the run time on a regular cycle is lengthy (two-and-a-half hours), it’s additionally a lot quieter than different fashions I examined. I favored its LED display, too, which tracks how lengthy is left within the dishwashing cycle.

What we didn’t like: At just below 20 inches tall, it could not match beneath all higher kitchen cupboards. The water hookup course of was tough, particularly in the event you don’t have the proper of kitchen faucet. In the event you do, you’ll nonetheless should hold this dishwasher inside 30 inches of your sink. At 44 kilos, it’s not an equipment you’ll get pleasure from transferring.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and stainless-steel
• Dimension: 21.5 x 19.5 x 17 inches
• Weight: 44 kilos
• Capability: 6 place settings
• Tank or arduous line?: Laborious line solely

The Competitors

• Danby DDW621WDB: That is just like our winner from the model, however is cheaper and doesn’t have an LED display that counts down the time remaining in a cycle. Its housing is white as a substitute of chrome, however it in any other case cleaned the dishes simply as nicely and in the identical period of time.
• Comfee Countertop Dishwasher: This dishwasher is pretty an identical to the Danby 631 (however in a black end)—right down to the buttons, rack, and water hookup line. If our favourite isn’t accessible, this can be a good decide. 
• Novete Portable Countertop Dishwasher: This mannequin failed to totally clear the barbecue sauce off of dishes throughout a standard cleansing cycle.
• Farberware Portable Countertop Dishwasher: The silverware rack warped after operating one of many greater temperature settings.

FAQs

Does a countertop dishwasher use a whole lot of water? 

Water utilization goes to fluctuate amongst machines. The smaller fashions I examined used about 5 liters of water to scrub and rinse.

How do you clear a countertop dishwasher?

The reply to this query will rely on the dishwasher however all the fashions I examined didn’t want a lot in the best way of cleansing. Over time, the filters and spray arms can get clogged with gunk. On this case, you’ll have to take away and rinse them with scorching water.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Taylor Murray has labored in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places like Eleven Madison Park. She has written extensively for Severe Eats. (Take a look at her evaluations of carbon steel pans and carving boards.)
• Taylor examined seven countertop dishwashers, utilizing every to wash numerous dishes and silverware. Throughout testing, she evaluated every machine’s efficiency, usability, and design.